Your First Mammogram

You’ve just turned 40, and it’s time to schedule your first mammogram. The uncertainty of what it will be like, along with your already busy schedule, could tempt you to put it off. Our mammography techs are here to answer some of the questions you may have and assure you that the time you spend with us is well worth the effort. By the end of this article, you will be more informed and can feel good about making the appointment and having the test done.

• First, you will need a referral from your primary care provider, OB/GYN, or certified nurse midwife. Women, starting as early as age 30, should talk to their provider about their risks and how often they should be screened.
• Once you have a referral, you call to schedule. When you schedule, you will be directed not to wear deodorant, powder, perfumes, creams, or ointments. It is wise to wear a two-piece outfit, as you only have to undress from the waist up. Plan on spending 45 minutes to complete the entire appointment. The actual exam only takes about 5 minutes.
• Once you arrive to the office and register, you will be directed to change into a gown or smock that opens at the front. The technician will welcome you into the mammography room and explain the procedure. She will take two pictures of each breast, one each from the top and the side.
• At SVMC, we use the latest 3D breast imaging technology. Our Hologic Selenia Dimensions Mammography System is the same equipment used at the most advanced imaging centers in the country, including John’s Hopkins and Kettering Health Network. It allows the radiologist, who will review the images, to see through many layers of tissue, which increases detection and decreases unnecessary retesting.
• The technologist is an expert positioner. She will direct you to take one arm out of your sleeve and arrange you in a sort of hug of the machine. She will place your breast between two flat panels, and move the upper panel down to compress the breast. Honestly, it isn’t the most comfortable thing, but it only lasts a few seconds. The technologist will move to the control panel and direct you to hold your breath while she takes the images.
• A safe, low-dose X-ray is used to take multiple images per compression. All four compressions take fewer than 90 seconds total. Even combined with repositioning and explaining things, the whole exam takes about 5 minutes. The images are read by a radiologist the next day.
• Ninety percent of women hear by mail or the patient portal that there were no concerning findings. This means that the mammogram was normal and no further imaging is needed until next year’s screening. Ten percent of women may receive a call that additional pictures are necessary. And a very small number of those may need some treatment. Usually, the earlier the detection, the easier the treatment.

Annual mammograms are important, because they provide the greatest chance to detect breast cancer early. When we detect breast cancer early, it is more treatable.

Becky Morin, RT/RM, is a registered technologist and mammographer at SVMC’s Breast Health and Imaging Center. The practice is a part of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and Southwestern Vermont Health Care in Bennington.